.[1].

1. I save a 2500 x 2500 (min) TIFF image of my Poser render and open up Photoshop. From there I create the following layers.

1. .[Hair].
2. .[Body].
3. .[Background].

NB. I have previously fixed up the body. Since i'm trying to deal specifically with hair I'm not bothering to go into the detail about the post work done.

2. On the .[Hair]. layer I scribble in the colour and general shape of the hair that I am wishing to draw. Any old airbrush will do. I used a standard 100px sized airbrush here.

.[Tip]. It helps to have reference material for various hairstyles so that they suit the character you are working with and then go from there.

.[3].

3. On the .[Hair]. Layer I selected a smaller airbrush (size: 5px, pressure: 100%) and began roughing in the outlines of the hair.

Normally I do this on a layer above my original hair because I like to mess around and try different combinations of hairstyles before decided on what I am going to use but for this particular picture I settled on working on the .[Hair]. layer as I knew what i was going to be working with.

.[4].

4. Still on the .[Hair]. layer I select a larger airbrush (9px) and start working in some shadows.

This is also the point I start to wonder what on earth I've gotten myself into... ;)

.[5].

5. Selecting the smudge tool (21px) I begin to smooth out all the lines that i've previously drawn.

.[6].

6. Next I go to the IMAGE menu > ADJUST > BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST and decrease the brightness and increase the contrast to get something that looks like the example.

.[7].

7. Selecting the dodge tool (size: 21px, range: shadows, exposure: 49%) I dodge where I want the highlights to be.

Alternatively you can just use the white air brush but I find when you're working with different coloured hair you get better variations of colour with the dodge tool.

Another point to note is that these things look rather for lack of a better word ridiculous until the final stages so try not to get discouraged in the process of the hair. I know that some ppl have the ability to make ne thing they touch look like a master piece but unfortunately I'm not one of those ppl.

.[8].

8. Using the dodge tool again (size: 17, range: highlights, exposure: 49%) I dodge the highlights I created in step .[7]. and then go to the IMAGE menu > ADJUST > Curves and move the colour curve around to enhance the colours.

.[9].

9. Using the smudge tool (size: 21, pressure: 67%) I then begin to smooth out the streaks. At the ends of the hair turn the pressure up to about 80% and then smudge them away from the base of the hair to give the effect of strands of hair.

.[10].

10. I wasn't happy with the amount of strands I had on the left hand side of the hair so I selected the bottom left hand side of it, copied it, pasted it as a layer, moved that new layer below the .[Hair]. Layer, mirrored it and erased the strands that i didn't want. Then merged these two layers together.

.[11].

11. I have returned to the .[Body]. layer and done some futher post work on it then merged the .[Hair]. and .[Body]. Layers together and then gone to the IMAGE menu > ADJUST > Curves and once again tweaked the curves to my liking.

.[12].

12. Nothing on the .[Body]. and .[Hair]. layers have been touched in this particular step I have only added in a background and well this is basically all I do. The highlights look a little strange on this picture due to resizing it but on the original all the highlights come out smoother.

I hope that someone can get some use out of this.

Hope everyone can get some use out this, if you have any questions, or want me to write another mini tutorial on anything feel free to harass me!

Roses,
.[SinSister].